Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the transfer of information to a wireless communication device and, more particularly, to transferring information from a schedule program to a wireless communication device.
2. Description of the Invention Background
It is commonly known that processors may communicate with wireless communication devices. Such processors may include, for example, a mainframe computer, a mini-computer, a micro-computer, a personal computer having, for example, a MICROSOFT(copyright) or APPLE(copyright) operating system and a data storage device, or another device that is capable of storing and manipulating data. Such a processor may be connected to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) to provide connectivity with other devices. In addition, wireless networks are commonly used to accommodate communication between the PSTN and wireless communication devices. Such wireless networks include analog networks and digital networks utilizing any form of wireless technology including, for example, CDMA and/or TDMA, and any other radio network that employs intersystem messaging such as an IS-41 (Interim Standard-41) based system, for example. Wireless communication devices that are capable of receiving and sending data, as well as voice communication, are also commonly used in such a wireless network. Digital and analog cellular telephones are common examples of such wireless communication devices.
Processors that may be connected to or in communication with such a wireless network 10 commonly use scheduling programs for organizing activities based on the time the activity is to occur and for storing information related to those activities for future use. Commonly used scheduling programs include MICROSOFT SCHEDULE+(copyright), for example. While portable processors that employ such schedule programs are available, it would be beneficial to have scheduling for one or more persons occur at one stationary location. It would also be beneficial for a person carrying only a wireless communication device to be automatically notified of upcoming scheduled events stored within a remote processor and be provided with data related to those scheduled events by way of the wireless communication device.
Thus, a need exists for an apparatus and method for accessing data related to a scheduled event that is stored in a processor and for sending that data to a wireless communication device.
A further need exists for communicating data relating to a scheduled event at a time prior to the scheduled time of the event.
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a wireless schedule notification method. The method comprises retrieving user defined event related data from a storage device, and transferring data to a wireless communication device at a predetermined time prior to the time indicated by the data.
A schedule data transfer system is also provided. The schedule data transfer system includes a storage device containing computer readable data representing a user defined scheduled time of an event and a processor containing instructions. When the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor retrieves schedule data from the storage device and transfers data to a wireless communication device. Another schedule data transfer system includes a server, a computer readable medium containing user defined schedule data, a processor communicating with the server and the computer readable medium, and a wireless communication device in communication with the server. In that system, the processor contains instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to transfer the user defined schedule data from the computer readable medium to the server, and the wireless communication device receives the schedule data from the server.
A computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to retrieve user defined schedule data from a storage device, the data including a time at which an event is scheduled to take place, and transfer at least a portion of the user defined schedule data to a wireless communication device at a predetermined time prior to the time at which the event is scheduled to take place is also provided.
Thus, the present invention offers the feature of accessing user defined event related data and sending data related to that data to a wireless communication device.
Another feature of the present invention is that it provides the user defined event related data to the wireless device at a predetermined time prior to the scheduled time of the event such that the user of the wireless device may be informed that an event is scheduled to take place in the future.
The present invention may also beneficially provide event related data to the wireless device to provide the user of the wireless device with information related to the scheduled event. Accordingly, the present invention provides solutions to the shortcomings of prior wireless scheduling systems and methods. Those of ordinary skill in the art will readily appreciate, therefore, that these and other details, features and advantages will become further apparent in the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.
These and various other features of novelty as well as advantages which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and form a part hereof. However, for a better understanding of the claimed invention reference should be made to the drawings which form a part hereof, and to the accompanying descriptive matter, in which there are illustrated and described specific examples of the claimed invention.